The 1957 release of "The Seventh Seal" and "Wild Strawberry" like two depth charges caused shock and shock in the film industry, before that, no director dared to let death play chess with humans, let alone intersperse dreams into life, breaking the fourth wall in the theater to complete direct communication with the audience, and it is even more unimaginable that Ingmar Bergman had to complete several theatrical arrangements at the Royal Theatre in Stockholm.
Bergman is a typical workaholic, he is busy every day, but never stop thinking about religion, life, in the winter of 1957, he made the film "The Threshold of Life", in my opinion, this is a "breathing" work, Bergman spent his life struggling to get rid of the influence and torture of his childhood family, "non-stop work" is the most effective "soothing way", although in 1957, he maintained mental and physical "resonance" with several lovers, and already had five children, But he is basically as cold and isolated as his father, which constitutes the original intention of "The Threshold of Life": to pay attention to the birth of every life and reflect on the meaning of life.
The film tells the story of three pregnant women in the delivery room of a day, Cecilia Ellios is married, full of desire for the birth of the child, but aborted in the third month; Hades Peterson is unmarried, has an irresponsible boyfriend, is both excited and afraid of the unexpected pregnancy, the pressure from the family, all aspects of society like a flood of beasts, whether to miscarry has become her biggest knot of the day; Stina Anderson has no worries about the previous two, The child died when he was about to give birth due to the long delivery time that caused the placenta to compress and deform. The three pregnant women each have their own troubles and sorrows, which leads to the theme connotation of "the threshold of life".
This film is rarely mentioned by critics, and even in every interview bergman abroad, it belongs to the film that never asks, but Bergman commented that it is "a little twisted and twisted, but it is a wonderful narrative structure", although it is a small-budget film, it won the best director and best actress awards at the 11th Cannes Film Festival, and it is worth mentioning that the best actress award was awarded to four leading actors in the film (three pregnant women and a nurse), which is rare in the history of Cannes film. The excitement of the actors' performances can be seen.
"The Threshold of Life" is no longer limited to the recognition of religion, but from Bergman's questioning of life, he constantly examines God at the same time, his heart is full of guilt for children, want to deeply study the problems of marriage, childbirth, and life that are prevalent in society at that time, which can be seen as a continuation of the question of life and death in "The Seventh Seal", which reflects Bergman's exploration of the ultimate meaning of life.
This article will take Bergman's four-fold questioning of loneliness, marriage, childbirth and death as a breakthrough, and analyze the life and meaning of life reflected in the film from point to point and aspect, so as to evoke the audience's discussion of the meaning of life.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" >01, is loneliness a slightly icy tranquility or an inviolable sense of security? </h1>
The three people in the film are all lonely, whether they are eager to meet life or forced to have a miscarriage, they are undoubtedly brave, but when they need to care most, they are accompanied only by endless loneliness, and this lonely state of mind can only be experienced by those who have experienced it most.
"Is loneliness a slightly cold tranquility or an inviolable sense of security?" Was it Cecilia's friend who asked her the question? Friends say "How much courage it takes to truly choose a lonely person is equivalent to a feat!" Behind the loneliness lurks an unchanging fear, an eternal fear."
However, Cecilia firmly believes that "I really believe I can", cecilia's remarks are actually the common voice of the three pregnant women, and their determination and courage in the face of loneliness are admirable. The brave choice of loneliness reflects the rise of feminism, they believe from the heart that men and women are equal, women should be encouraged and supported by men, but at the same time should also assume their due responsibilities, this loneliness is the only way to motherhood.
"The threshold of life" seems to be about the story of pregnancy and childbirth, figuratively giving birth to a child is like crossing the "threshold", which is full of unknown hardships and setbacks, but this is only an experience of life, "the threshold of life" is more of a woman's self-observation in the face of loneliness, how to face the lonely heart, spend this time, this is the most worthy of reflection.
Most of Bergman's films always describe the journey of life, as the Bible says, "Christians are only temporary in the world, and life is only a necessary journey to heaven." The three women are all lonely in this film, their journey is precious because of the company of husbands, family and friends, the film does not have the slightest religious connotation, but through the philosophical reflection of a simple story to enlighten the audience about gender relations and marriage system, how to view responsibility and desire is crucial.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" >02, is marriage an unshirkable responsibility or a desire for pleasure and indulgence? </h1>
Children as the crystallization of love often reflect the concept of marriage and family between the two parties. The root cause of Cecilia's loneliness is that she believes that her husband "does not love her and that their marriage was a mistake". Because of this psychology, children should not come into this world, which affects Cecilia's mood and physical state, and the original desire for children is exchanged for despair of marriage, which essentially reflects the difference between women's "love first" and men's "hedonism".
Cecilia husband explains that "although I long for the arrival of the child, I am still worried about myself, worried that we do not have time, we should wait until the time of my thesis is completed, the death of the child is not my fault". Cecilia's husband tried to clear his relationship with the death of his children, claiming that the time had not yet come, and that he should focus on school rather than family, reflecting still "self-centered" hedonism. The two views on life attitudes are out of sync, and the end result is that Cecilia divorces her husband and starts a new life, which abounds in real life, reminding us to find a life partner with similar values.
Hades boyfriend is a typical playboy, when Hades told him that he would "beat up the child" and asked him to come to see her, the boyfriend said "I am not your fiancé", Hades has had a second miscarriage, both times because of the boyfriend's irresponsibility, but when faced with responsibility, the boyfriend chose to escape and did not want to take on the responsibility of his "husband", this extremely irresponsible attitude is more symbolic of the "hedonistic" attitude.
Hades is simple, she is young and energetic, but she still dreams of having a happy family and a husband who loves her, for which she constantly compromises and gives. She longs to be nourished by love, to enter the palace of marriage, and does not she long for pleasure? The same desire, but she is more rational and mature than her boyfriend, the reason for her concession is love, but this love is facing disintegration at any time, and in the end she can only hope for the family, and her sad parents reached out to her in her most difficult moments, showing the preciousness of family affection in the world and the helplessness and sadness brought about by the wrong choice of love path.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >03, is childbearing a right of free choice or a state-enforced obligation? </h1>
Different countries have different attitudes towards fertility, the film in 1957 reflects the sparse population in Sweden, encouraging fertility characteristics, the most prominent point is that female doctors continue to persuade Hades to give birth, because the state will provide them with perfect welfare guarantees to ensure the healthy and happy growth of children. But here it is very easy to provoke the audience to think, is childbearing a woman's right or a state-enforced obligation?
Doctors have a few reasons: Unlike thirty or forty years ago, the state now vigorously helps and protects single mothers, mothers not only receive allowances, children can also enjoy benefits, as well as free women's health care and social insurance, and children's rights will be protected accordingly. There is a saying that is worth recalling: "It is not shameful nor unfortunate for a girl to want to have children independently". Obviously, such an idea now has a lot of supporters, but it is obvious that 63 years ago, it was obvious that not everyone could accept such remarks.
The soundness of social welfare gives people the right to choose, but at the same time it tortures the hearts of single mothers. The development of modern psychology has long proved the importance of a sound family for the healthy growth of children, and single mothers test the courage and responsibility of women. Doctors' rhetoric is more like a spokesman for national policy than a humanitarian concern based on the doctor's professional ethics.
Childbearing meant the responsibility of parenting, and for Bergman, the indifference of his parents became an eternal pain in his heart, which led to his discussion of fertility. Bergman likes to lie since he was a child, in order to get more love from his parents, but the result is the opposite, he is always criticized and beaten, thus carrying a heavy psychological shadow, this film through the discussion of responsibilities before childbirth, more want to make the audience aware of the responsibilities of parents.
Hades' choice of reproductive rights will determine the future of a child, and the film does not want to discuss the impact of single-parent and two-parent families on children, but conveys the extension of parents' responsibilities for the family, the child as a life, even if it is guaranteed by a sound welfare system, but "some things still have to be borne by the parents themselves", such as educating or caring for the child.
Hades chose to give birth to a child in the end, which was both social oppression and her own will, one of the most important points was the support of her family, without which she would still face alone, thus raising life and death to a philosophical level for study.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" >04, is death a helpless sadness or a joy for everyone? </h1>
Abortion in the Christian view is the erasure of individual life, the three women in the film do not get their own children, its rendering of sadness and lamentation, full of Bergman's questioning of the meaning of life, death is sometimes not a torture, but a relief, the key lies in the difference in their respective positions.
The death of Cecilia's child in the film directly leads to the divorce between Cecilia and her husband, cecilia chooses to let go, in order to let her husband regain her freedom, at the cost of her own silent suffering, which seems to be a sadness, but it is the best choice for the future of the two, in this sense, letting go is sometimes a kind of love.
The death of Stina's child reflects the helplessness of the loss of life, two expectant couples waiting for the birth of the child, the child who was originally alive in the stomach died because of childbirth, the doctor said, "I have no problem, everything is the fate of the arrangement." The separation of life and death in the process of giving birth is so realistic and cruel, which shows the tenacity and tenacity unique to women.
Bergman has been constantly negotiating with death since he was a child, and the relatives around him have passed away one after another, bringing him more thinking about death, even his birth is actually an accident, his parents do not want this child, but due to chance, he was born, so those unsatisfactory in life came one after another, the root cause is that the parents did not put enough care, which is the basis of the reality of the film shooting. For Bergman, death is not a relief, and if he had not come into this world, the torment and suffering would not have existed.
Death is not an end, but a new beginning, Stina and her husband will still be confident to welcome the birth of the next child, human determination to continue the next generation will never end with pain, an important and precious life experience of children as parents, will affect each other for life, survival and death go hand in hand, whether it is sadness or joy, parents should face it calmly, this is Bergman's cry from the bottom of his heart.
"The Threshold of Life" is different from most of Bergman's films exploring religious philosophy and family relations, it focuses on the specific "birth" link, through the process of life to death to reflect the family, friendship and love in life, in the final analysis, it is a microcosm of Bergman's life, because of his unhappy childhood experience, he longs to get the love of his parents, but his pursuit of art has become an "excuse" for him to care for his children, the three women in the film are bold and strong, constantly triggering the audience to reflect on the relationship between fertility and responsibility.